Diablo 3 Beta is OUT!

[Vagrant0]

I hate to break it to you... But RMT (Real Money Trading) was actually quite prevalent in Diablo2. Although most were blatant scams, there was clearly money to be made by these people who would run MF bots for unique and set items to sell. Several of the maps were the same from one game to the next, so people with purpose built characters could just run a bot that would predictably clear the section only picking up green and gold items. Which is where many of those "free items" games got their loot... cleaning out bots which didn't collect anything of real value.

 

This change, really, is just Blizzard's way of taking a cut from something that they KNOW will be happening anyway, while still making it safe for players to make use of. Frankly, I think it's a good step since instead of there being some sort of Blizzard shop, the prices will be set by players and adjusted as need/availability change. I don't like the "Need to be constantly online" aspect much either since it reeks of DRM and such, but given the alternative, I think this is also the most practical way to handle it and keep everyone honest.

[Halororor]

The problem for me is, we're probably being forced to have a constant internet connection because of the AH. They could just as easily have implemented the AH in an online mode seperate from an offline mode, but forcing users be online should dramatically increase the appeal of buying from the AH.

 

Also, who would be stupid enough to buy gear from an AH? In an MMO, yes, but half the fun of a hack 'n slash title lies in looting dungeons for gear.

[Vagrant0]

The problem for me is, we're probably being forced to have a constant internet connection because of the AH. They could just as easily have implemented the AH in an online mode seperate from an offline mode, but forcing users be online should dramatically increase the appeal of buying from the AH.

Erm, not really. There are other reasons for it to be online... DRM being one (given the amount of piracy and hacking which occurred with D2, to the point where people who had bought the game in recent years had keys which were already registered by pirates). The fact that game design may even be designed around cooperative play (since that is where most of the fun was and just making things stronger wasn't always a good solution). To keep exploiting and botting down (since many people used map hacks, item hacks, trainers, and other things to give them an edge). To gauge interest in an actual Diablo MMO.

 

Also, who would be stupid enough to buy gear from an AH? In an MMO, yes, but half the fun of a hack 'n slash title lies in looting dungeons for gear.

As mentioned, mostly those who have more money than time, or PvP/HC players who are determined to be the best. Also, since people would be getting free listings, they would likely be selling items on the auction house as they go, and more often than not, buying things with the money they made, rather than cashing it out to a linked credit card.

 

The more interesting thing is that really, nobody has ever done this before with real currency. Those games that have done something similar have been using either farmable in game currencies, or currencies which could only be bought from the company, and not cashed out. Which, when you stop to think about it, is a really interesting concept regardless its intentions or origins. Going from the model of "people farming for loot and not buying a damn thing" (as most players likely are), this leads to what will likely be, a flood of $.02 and $.01 items at lower levels. And even at higher levels, prices will probably drop quickly once the player base builds up. Which leads to an interesting notion of explaining to people just how much value their time farming a game to cash out really has... Spending 40 hours on a game killing the same stuff repeatedly for a net gain of $5.00 kinda puts your whole life in perspective and forces you to ask why you don't just get a job.

[CamonnaTong]

Hopefully my Credit card isn't stolen. That or there will be in-store cards to put on your D3 bank. Never played D3 the only MMO I tried and liked was Perfect World. Speaking of that SWKOR looks good, friend bought the $140 Collectors edition. It has unique features like a "Premium Shop" with items only those who bought the Collectors edition can get. For me I would rather wait to see D3 reviews and how good Blizzards changes work. For me I like to criticize after the game is out. For example Skyrim has only 3 attributes from the 8. Some say it's dumbing the game down and is beyond stupid. But companies 'usually' has good reasons for doing such things. As I said I will wait to criticize later. It might actually turn out to be good you never know.

[evilneko]

Via The Escapist:

 

He also claimed that the always-on requirement has absolutely nothing to do with DRM. "I don't think [DRM] ever came up when we talked about how we want connections to operate," he said. So why not just make an offline mode for people who want to play that way? "You're introducing a separate user flow, a separate path that players are going to go down," he explained. "And, at the end of the day, how many people are going to want to do that?"

 

Oh, I love it when you lie to me. Lie to me some more! Lie to me some more, please!

[amycus]

Via The Escapist:

 

He also claimed that the always-on requirement has absolutely nothing to do with DRM. "I don't think [DRM] ever came up when we talked about how we want connections to operate," he said. So why not just make an offline mode for people who want to play that way? "You're introducing a separate user flow, a separate path that players are going to go down," he explained. "And, at the end of the day, how many people are going to want to do that?"

 

Oh, I love it when you lie to me. Lie to me some more! Lie to me some more, please!

 

Keep your pants on, its not over yet:

http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/104164-blizzard-vp-surprised-over-reaction-always-online-drm.html

 

(Sorry if it has already been posted)

[evilneko]

I think that's probably the article that the Escapist piece I read was based on. Like I said previously I've lost all interest in D3 now. Probably gonna suck just as much as D2 did anyway.

[Povuholo]

Fear not, because we have alternatives!

 

Torchlight 2

Grim Dawn (From the guys behind Titan Quest)

 

 

Looking forward to Torchlight 2 myself. Torchlight 1 was pretty solid, and the sequel is promising to improve on everything the first missed: Multiplayer, outdoor areas, good writing, character customization, more classes....

[Halororor]

Oh no, I'm still very much looking forward to Diablo 3, I'm just not too excited about the choices they're making.

 

Another thing I've just noticed when looking at some screenshots of the beta, the game looks uncomfortably familiar to Dungeon Siege 3.